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State of the Re:Union with Al Letson: East Jackson, Ohio: As Black as We Wish to Be

(Rochester, New York) – In State of the Re:Union with Al Letson: East Jackson, Ohio: As Black as We Wish to Be﻿, airing Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 9 p.m. on AM 1370/FM-HD 91.5-2, Al Letson and guest producer Lu Olkowski visit a tiny town in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio where, for a century, residents have shared the common bond of identifying as African-American despite the fact that they look white. Racial lines have been blurred to invisibility, and people inside the same family can vehemently disagree about whether they are black or white. It can be tense and confusing. As a result, everyone's choosing: Am I black? Am I mixed race? Or, am I white? Adding to the confusion, there-s a movement afoot to recognize their Native-American heritage.

SOTRU is hosted by Public Radio Talent Quest Winner and performance artist Al Letson. With a journalistic, documentary-style approach, each hour-long program focuses exclusively on one city, region, or other community and features interviews, commentary, recordings, listener-generated letters, and music.

Pictured: Host Al Letson

WXXI is the essential, life-long educational media resource for the Greater Rochester area. WXXI puts the community first with programming that stimulates and expands thought, inspires the spirit, opens cultural horizons and promotes understanding of diverse community issues. Log on to wxxi.org for more information about our services and programs.﻿